Aug. 22 saw the release of their newest Disney+ show in the Star Wars universe “Ahsoka,” and fans are left polarized on how to feel.

Starring Rosario Dawson as the titular character, the show follows the ex-Jedi “Ahsoka Tano” band together with old friends in an effort to find Ezra Bridger, stop a new group of Sith warriors, and defeat Grand Admiral Thrawn, which is a whole lot to take in for the uninitiated viewer.

Getting the elephant out of the room first, this show is simply not for the casual audience. While it may be “season 1, episodes 1 and 2” this show is just a direct continuation of characters and storylines from a combined 11 season plotline of two (technically four) separate tv shows from the Star Wars universe.

Even with that out of the way, the show struggles on its own. The writing so far leaves a lot to desire, namely when it tries to catch general viewers up to speed. Many scenes have exposition spoken in a blatant and unnatural way where characters for a brief moment feel like they forget who they were talking to, or the history they have with them.

The acting as well is a pretty hit and miss aspect of the show. Dawson, as usual, gives a solid performance as “Ahsoka,” although some may say solid isn’t good enough as the series lead now. Natasha Liu Bordizzo is brilliant as “Sabine,” as both her and her character bring in a chaotic, energetic, and lively aspect the show needed. Mary Elizabeth Winstead however is just okay. Her acting is fine as a rebel general, but she doesn’t really embody the motherly warmth and boldness her character, “Hera,” is known for.

Ray Stevenson and Ivanna Sakhno are so close to amazing in their respective roles as the series antagonists “Bayland” and “Shin.” They have the physicality and characterizations to stand with the likes of Darth Vader and Maul, but are given such basic dialogue which barely leaves any room for interpretation.

Although on a positive note, the soundtrack from Star Wars alum, Kevin Kiner strikes a solid balance between fantasy and chambara (films focused on Japanese swordfighting), which is very fitting as these genres inspired George Lucas when originally creating Star Wars. The set designers, stunt team, and visual effects artists also do a great job in capturing that iconic Star Wars feel. 

To put it simply, with a tedious first episode, and fine second episode for a seres premiere, the show so far is unfortunately aggressively average.